Gov. Chris Christie’s recent decline, from 18 percent approval in a May Quinnipiac poll, appears to be driven by a loss of support among Republicans, who disapprove of him by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. | AP Photo

Christie is now New Jersey's least popular governor ever, with 15 percent approval

Gov. Chris Christie now has the lowest approval rating of any New Jersey governor in recorded history, and it’s hurting his lieutenant governor’s campaign to replace him, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Quinnipiac University poll shows Christie’s approval rating among New Jersey voters at just 15 percent, with 81 percent disapproving. Christie’s approval rating is the lowest Quinnipiac found for any governor it measured in any state in more than 20 years.

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Christie, a Republican, had already tied former Democratic Gov. Brendan Byrne in a February Quinnipiac poll for the previous state record of 17 percent, which Byrne had set in a 1977 Eagleton poll after enacting New Jersey’s first income tax (Byrne actually won reelection later that year).

The poll is the latest in Christie’s long decline in public opinion after reaching an approval rating in the 70s in aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. That was before the Bridgegate scandal began eroding his popularity, while his increasing time spent out-of-state to prepare a run for president further soured voters on him.

Chrisite’s recent decline, from 18 percent approval in a May Quinnipiac poll, appears to be driven by a loss of support among Republicans, who disapprove of him by a nearly 2-1 margin, 58 percent to 31 percent. In May, Republicans were split on Christie, with 46 percent approving of him and 47 percent disapproving. Democratic and independent opinions of Christie were little changed in the latest poll.

Following a press conference outside the statehouse on Wednesday, Christie waved off reporters and walked away when asked how he felt about the low approval rating.

The poll also asked voters if Republican gubernatorial nominee Kim Guadagno’s nearly eight years as lieutenant governor under Christie had a positive or negative “impact” on their perceptions of her. Fifty-four percent said it had a negative impact, while nine percent said it had a positive impact and 35 percent said it didn’t make a difference.

Phil Murphy, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, is not nearly as bogged down by his time as a Goldman Sachs executive, which his Democratic primary opponents used to bludgeon him. Fifty-six percent of voters said it had no impact on their perception of him, while 33 percent cited it as a negative and 7 percent as a positive.

The poll found Murphy leading Guadagno by a huge margin, 55 percent to 26 percent.

Overall, 28 percent of voters have an unfavorable impression of Guadagno, while 20 percent have a favorable one. Murphy is seen favorably by 33 percent and unfavorably by 18 percent.

President Donald Trump fares better than Christie in New Jersey, but he’s still deeply unpopular. Twenty-eight percent approve of his job performance, while 66 percent disapprove.

Voters are also skeptical of campaign pledges by Murphy and Guadagno. Sixty-eight percent don’t believe Guadagno’s pledge that she would lower property taxes in her first term as governor or not seek reelection. Fifty-two percent don’t believe Murphy’s pledge to increase education funding while raising taxes on millionaires but not the middle-class.

Despite facing a corruption trial in September, Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is viewed positively by voters, with 44 percent approving and 35 percent disapproving, even though a plurality — 41 percent to 31 percent — say he does not deserve reelection in 2018.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is the most popular statewide elected official, with 58 percent of voters approving of his job performance and just 21 percent disapproving.

The poll of 1,103 New Jersey voters was conducted from June 7 to June 12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.